Carl Mayer von Rothschild

Carl Mayer von Rothschild
Kalman "Carl" Mayer von Rothschild
Born	(1788-04-24)April 24, 1788 Frankfurt am Main, Germany
Died	March 10, 1855(1855-03-10) (aged 66) Naples
Residence	Villa Pignatelli, Kingdom of the Two Sicilies
Occupation	President & owner, C M de Rothschild & Figli
Spouse(s)	Adelheid Herz (m. 1818; d. 1853)
Children	1) Charlotte, 2) Mayer Carl, 3) Adolf Carl, 4) Wilhelm Carl, 5) Anselm Alexander Carl
Parent(s)	Mayer Amschel Rothschild & Gutlé Schnapper

Baron Carl Mayer von Rothschild (April 24, 1788 – March 10, 1855) was a German-born banker in the Kingdom of the Two Sicilies and the founder of the Rothschild banking family of Naples.

Born Kalman Mayer Rothschild in Frankfurt am Main, he was the fourth of the five sons of Mayer Amschel Rothschild (1743–1812) and Gutlé Schnapper (1753–1849). He would become known as "Carl" by the family except for his English relatives who translated it as "Charles". Raised in an increasingly prosperous family, he was trained in his father's banking business and lived at home until age twenty-nine when he acquired a modest residence at 33 Neue Mainzer Strasse in Frankfurt am Main in preparation for his marriage on September 16, 1818 to Adelheid Herz (1800–1853). They would have the following children:

Wanting to expand the family business across Europe, the eldest Rothschild son Amschel remained in Frankfurt, while each of the other sons were sent to different European cities to establish a banking branch. The 1821 occupation of Naples by the Austrian army provided the opportunity for the Rothschilds to set up business in the Kingdom. Carl Rothschild was therefore sent to Naples where he established C M de Rothschild & Figli to operate as a satellite office to the Rothschild banking family of Germany headquarters in Frankfurt am Main.

Carl Rothschild has sometimes been seen as the least gifted of the five brothers. However, he proved himself in Naples as a strong financial manager and someone very capable at developing all-important business connections. He established a good working relationship with Luigi de' Medici, the "Direttore della Segreteria di Azienda del Regno di Napoli" (Finance Minister), and his operation became the dominant banking house in Naples. As a result of Carl's success, the Rothschilds had a substantial banking presence in England and three other major European capitals, giving the family considerable influence and an advantage over their competitors.